The test event - titled the Canoe Sprint Invitational International Regatta - will take place from tomorrow until next Sunday (September 4) and will be the first international sprint regatta to be held in Britain in more than 25 years.

Over 198 elite athletes from 32 nations will gather for the second Olympic test event to take place at Eton Dorney following the FISA World Rowing Junior Championships earlier this month and Fox feels the venue will host a stunning Olympic competition next year.

"We work very closely with London 2012 on the venue requirements and we are extremely satisfied with what we have here at Eton Dorney," Fox told insidethegames.

"We obviously have to wait for the conclusion of the test event to make a proper assessment but we are very confident at the ICF that Eton Dorney will host a very special Olympic canoe sprint competition next year.

"Another great thing is the legacy from this venue and also the white water canoe venue at Lee Valley.

"This venue here at Eton Dorney is already used by the GB team and hosts competitions, while Lee Valley will stage the Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2015.

"There is also a pre-legacy at Lee Valley because it is already being used for elite training and recreational use so, from a canoeing perspective, both venues meet that legacy interest."

The ICF vice president added that it would have been nice if either of the two venues were closer to the Olympic Park in Stratford but said there were big advantages from being stationed outside East London.

"Ideally you would like to be closer to the main Olympic hub but the quality of the venue dictates where you go and this is a world class venue that meets all the requirements," he said.

"It is also great to be in such a nice green area and there is an accommodation solution with athletes staying here so I think there are advantages and disadvantages.

"There is a little compromise in all Olympic Games but I think Eton Dorney can be a real showcase for prestige English sporting venues."


Top British athletes taking part in the test event include Ed McKeever who won silver in the men's kayak single (K1) at the recent World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, and the duo of Liam Heath and Jon Schofield who are the reigning European champions in the men's kayak double (K2) 200 metres.

For the women, Britain's Rachel Cawthorn, the former European gold medallist in the women's kayak single (K1) 1000m, will compete at the event.

London 2012 will use the competition to test the course, timing, technology and workforce and although the event is not open to the general public, local canoe clubs have been given the chance to attend the event to watch their sporting heroes.

"This is another exciting international event which is crucial for us to ensure we test our functions and aid planning to deliver a great Games in 2012," said London 2012 head of sport competition David Luckes.

"Even though Eton Dorney is an existing venue it is still vital we test our operations and make sure we are ready."

Canoe Sprint events are head-to-head races conducted on still water, with athletes racing over distances of 200m, 500m or 1,000m, either solo, in pairs or in teams of four.

London 2012 will see the 200m race discipline introduced for the first time in the history of the Olympics.

During next year's Olympics, Eton Dorney will be the venue for rowing and the canoe sprint events, while it will host adaptive rowing during the London 2012 Paralympics.

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